Dreaming Out Loud
by berrywarbler
Summary: AU future!fic; Kurt is determined to set Rachel up with a perfect guy. Along comes Blaine, a fellow former Ohio kid, who quickly sweeps her off her feet.
1. First Date

Rachel was not fond of blind dates, but Kurt had insisted that he had found someone perfect for her. She was wary, and it wasn't until Kurt said "Listen, if he was gay we would be sitting here arguing over who he loves more, and as it is I'm already thinking about taking a chance and seeing if I can get him to bat for my team," that she was assured Kurt knew what he was talking about. After all, they spent most of their time yearning for the same guys.

All she really knew was that he was their age, had curly dark hair, and that his name was Blaine. Kurt refused to tell her anything else, and for the life of her she couldn't remember Kurt bringing him up before aside from mentioning how he was in the same economics class as Kurt, which didn't help her at all. They didn't even get a chance to talk, Kurt was set on making Rachel have such a surprising (and romantic he assured her) evening that he told her where to meet Blaine that Thursday night, and as Rachel walked up to the small restaurant uptown, she felt nervous. _What if he's a serial killer, or a rapist, or untalented? _

She walked through the door, biting her bottom lip as she looked around. She had arrived ten minutes earlier than they had planned to meet, hoping to arrive first and calm her nerves before he got there.

"Are you Rachel?" a voice asked from behind her, and she whirled around to find a guy slightly taller than she was in her heels, hair slightly curly and a giant smile on his face. She seemed to relax almost immediately, and she wasn't sure if it was his calm demeanor or the fact that he just _seemed _wonderful that calmed her down the most, but she smiled in return.

"I'm assuming you're Blaine?" she asked, and he nodded, holding out a hand and she shook it quickly. "It's nice to finally meet you," she told him earnestly.

"Same to you! I was beginning to think Kurt was going to hide you away forever," he grinned, motioning to a table a few feet away from them where two waters were already waiting. She giggled, sliding into the booth and settling in while he slid to the other side, handing her a menu. She was already impressed with how gentleman-ly he was, and his smile was practically infectious-she herself hadn't been able to stop since he found her.

"I asked him why if he had found such a great guy he had hidden you away until now, apparently he was waiting until our lives were less hectic," she told him, peeking at him over the menu and barely even focusing on what it offered.

"Yeah, he was telling me how you landed the lead in a musical downtown-that must have been pretty awesome," he told her, placing his menu on the side of the table to signal the waiter that he was ready. She glanced at it quickly enough to find something she'd reasonably enjoy before placing hers there too, she couldn't seem to keep her eyes off of him. It wasn't even in a sexual way-though he was undoubtedly attractive. But there was almost a magnetism to him that attracted her, unable to look away for longer than a few seconds, and from across the table she could tell he felt the same about her.

"It was, they're just doing a small production of _Les Miz_, but everyone has to start somewhere," she answered honestly.

"Did it wrap already?' he asked, sipping his water as she nodded. "That's too bad, I bet you were amazing on stage."

She blushed, giggling a little. "Are you into performing or anything?" she questioned, knowing that already at this point it wouldn't have even mattered if he said no, she was already smitten.

"Actually, I was in a glee club in high school," he admitted with an awkward shrug.

"No way! Kurt and I were too!" she cried out, a couple glaring from a neighboring table, but she ignored them. Blaine just chuckled, nodding. "Did you guys win any competitions or anything?" she added, her voice a little quieter.

"Actually, the weird thing is-you guys beat us out. Don't tell Kurt this, but as soon as he told me that you two were in New Directions, I remembered exactly who you were. And you have a phenomenal voice, and I wasn't going to turn down a date with the incredibly talented Rachel Berry," he admitted. Rachel was sure she was blushing a bright red from head to tail, and tried to stutter out a question of how, but he seemed to know what she wanted to know. "I was on the Warblers. I went to an all boy's private school for a few years, and we met up at sectionals and regionals our junior year. Your original songs kicked the shit out of our version of-"

"Raise Your Glass!" she exclaimed, remembering now. "That's right, I almost forgot about that competition."

Blaine laughed loudly, nodding. "I'm not surprised, there was barely even a contest between the groups. I'd have fallen over in shock if anyone but you guys won."

"Well, you guys certainly gave us a run for our money. Your voice, if I recall correctly, was simply gorgeous," she complimented, recalling now how he had intrigued her, though with all the drama she never really dwelled too much on it.

"You guys set to order?" the waiter interrupted, and Blaine nodded, signaling for Rachel to order first.

* * *

><p>They spent so long talking at the restaurant that they had barely even noticed how much time had passed, or how annoyed their waiter was that they just weren't leaving. "Shit," Blaine mumbled, glancing at his watch and causing Rachel's heart to plummet quickly. She didn't want this date to end, and when he followed with "I know it's late, but-do you want to go for a walk or something?" she nodded quickly and enthusiastically, grabbing his hand instinctively as they headed out the door.<p>

The June air was warm as they walked around the streets of New York, Blaine resuming their discussion almost immediately. "So, you've always known what you want to do then?"

She nodded, a quick "Yes," falling from her lips as she glanced up at the towering buildings around them. "I mean, I was pretty much prepared for this since I was even a concept-they used to play Vivaldi into my mother's stomach, it looks like I was in fifth position for one of my ultrasounds," she smiled.

"I'm not even surprised," Blaine grinned at her, squeezing her hand as he chortled.

"Well, while I love ballet and it has prepared me for the dancing required of most musicals, I really just want to be an actress. Being on a stage and singing and acting-that's the real dream," she told him. He nodded, lost in his own thoughts. "What about you, what's your dream?"

"I'm not sure yet," he shrugged. "I mean, I love music and performing, but I'm nowhere near talented enough to make a profession out of it. I've been going to school for business, figuring I'll just end up in some building putting numbers into a computer somewhere."

She frowned, looking up at him. "That doesn't exactly sound like a good life," she told him.

"No, not really when you say it aloud. I mean, I'll be happy-as long as I have people around me that I care about, I'm set. And maybe some impromptu guitar and singing jam sessions," he joked, his eyes twinkling even now in the dark. "I mean, a job can only do so much for most people. Unless you're insanely dedicated and motivated to do something extreme, I think the most you can hope for is a happy family and great friends." She smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder without thinking about it, completely at ease with him.

"That makes sense," she said a moment later, their hands kind of swaying as they walked.

"I-uh, I don't want to seem forward or anything, but if you wanted to have coffee and sit and talk some more, my apartment is only a couple blocks away," he offered a few minutes later after they lapsed into a comfortable silence. She debated it, but ultimately smiled and said 'yes', early morning be damned.

* * *

><p>"No way!" Blaine scoffed, incredulous as Rachel told him about the Jesse St. James debacle of her sophomore year. "No guys would date you just to bring you to your mom and then ditch you. That's like-no. I refuse to believe you."<p>

"Believe me. Even Kurt was ready to defend me, and Kurt was kind of scrawny back in the day," she told him, fighting back a yawn. The clock on the stove behind him read 4:23, and she knew that she should go home and try and get a couple hours of sleep, but she didn't want to leave, didn't want to do anything but sit at his table with him and continue talking.

"That's fucking ridiculous," he swore, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Tell me about it," she agreed, her fingers running around the edge of her coffee mug which had long since been emptied. "It was probably the most humiliating break up I've ever had to go through," she admitted.

"Well, I have to say I've never had anything quite that bad," he told her, "though one time one of my best friends threw himself at me and that was an awkward period of time."

"_He_?" she asked, her eyebrows raised as Blaine nodded solemnly.

"We were only like, 14, and I knew he was gay-he just kind of assumed I was too."

"You're not, right?" she asked, suddenly worried-it wouldn't be the first time she was falling for a gay man, but it would certainly be the worst.

"No, I promise you I am not. That was the first and last time I kissed a guy. Ah-second to last time I made out with a guy," he corrected, and she grinned.

"Well, Blaine Anderson, do share." He sighed, rubbing his gorgeous hazel eyes with his hand and took a deep breath.

"I mean, it was just a stupid dare-our freshman year of college, they dared me to kiss this kid that was new to the group. So I did, because it doesn't really matter to me anyways, kisses are just kisses, and we were all really drunk, and," he stopped talking, shrugging as if that finished the story. She laughed quietly, resting her head on her hands. Her eyes really were starting to droop, and she was sure the sun was going to start coming up soon, and she had to work in four hours.

"Well aren't you just full of surprises," she joked, trying to hide her yawn.

"It's getting really late," he said softly, and she nodded, closing her eyes for a second before she realized she would quickly fall asleep like that.

"Maybe I should-I should probably get home and try and sleep before work," she resigned herself, sighing as she stood up.

"But, I mean, do you have to?" he asked, his eyes wide and she was reminded of a puppy, a sad puppy who didn't want their owner to leave them behind. The sight made her smile even wider, her sleepiness now turning her giddy as it got even later.

"I don't want to, but I really should," she told him, and he stood up and grabbed her hands.

"Well, I mean, can we do this again? Soon?" he asked, and she nodded earnestly.

"You have my number now, just call me soon, okay?" she asked, her voice suddenly quiet and shy as she realized she was leaving the ball in his court.

"I will, don't worry," he promised, his voice sounding so sincere she couldn't help but feel butterflies of nerves all over again. He walked down the stairs with her, his hand on her lower back as they climbed down in silence, too tired to even talk anymore. "Are you sure you're going to get home safely?' he asked once they hit the street outside, completely deserted now.

"I'll be fine," she smiled, leaning up and kissing his cheek. "Thank you for the perfect first date," she whispered, and he blushed slightly and nodded, squeezing her hand before letting her go. She walked to the end of the street where the subway was, glancing back every few feet to see him still standing there, hands in his pockets and watching her go.

She had a feeling that the smile wouldn't leave her face for days.


	2. Comfortable

It all seemed to be a dream for Rachel, how easily they fell in love. She had grown a lot since high school, been careful not to throw the word around as much anymore, but within weeks she knew that was what was happening with Blaine.

He had kept his promise, calling her the next evening and asking her out for an afternoon date, joking that they could at least end it at a normal hour and get some sleep. Of course, that date had barely been shorter than their first, and Rachel walked home at 2 in the morning with another giant smile on her face.

Blaine was _wonderful_. He was sweet and funny and-she learned on their fourth date when they went to a karaoke bar with Kurt and a few other people-incredibly talented. On their fifth date, only two weeks into dating, she found his guitar and asked him to play for her. He had blushed, muttering about how he didn't really play much around others, but she insisted and he played some songs for her while she sat on his living room floor, memorized by his hands and his voice. She had been the one to initiate their first kiss after that, taking him by surprise before he even had a chance to put the guitar down.

The whole summer continued like that-they seemed to exist in their own blissful world, content to spend their free time with each other and each other alone. They would go on double dates with Kurt and his new boyfriend every once in awhile, but for the most part they had picnics at the park or sat at the waterfront in Brooklyn or went to off-off Broadway musicals and scoped out Rachel's future competition. Sometimes they would just laze in one of their apartments, singing quietly to each other or watching movies. If it was Blaine's turn to pick, they were often things like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, and when Rachel got to pick she'd go for things like _My Fair Lady _and _Funny Face_.

Before they knew it, it seemed like summer was over and school was starting up again. Their time together went from infinite to limited, and though it was stressful, they still tried to see each other as often as possible. Their dates were less exciting, leaning more towards study dates with take-out food than trips to the zoo or museums around the city, but Rachel just wanted to be around him. When first semester finals rolled around, she was surprised to find that he was even more stressed than she was. She often had to remind him to eat, making him sandwiches and hiding his books every couple days so he'd give himself a break and leave the apartment and get his mind off studying.

It was during one of these walks that she realized just how far she had fallen for Blaine. They were wandering around Central Park, and she was rambling about how she was going to have to start auditioning for roles soon, and how she knew that she probably wouldn't get on Broadway just yet but she wasn't sure if she could settle for anything that wasn't at least off-Broadway, when he stopped her in the middle of the path. "Am I talking too much?" she bit her lip, looking up at him and pulling his hat over his ears a little more so the snow and cold wouldn't affect him too much.

He grinned, leaning down to kiss her nose, something she had already figured out he only did when he was feeling a strong rush of affection towards her. "I love you," he told her, and her stomach nearly fell out of her body it swooped so low at his words. She had gathered as much, though they had never spoken the words aloud.

"I love you too," she whispered back, leaning up on her toes to kiss him softly. She could feel his smile as he kissed her back, and when she finally pulled back she couldn't tell who looked happier. She let her head rest on his chest, their arms wrapped around each other now as they stood on the path near the lake, not worried about blocking anyone or anything since the park was nearly deserted.

It was the first time she let herself think about a future with Blaine, something farther than the next week or two, a future with a marriage and children and the rest of their lives spent together.

* * *

><p>Winter faded into spring with surprising ease, and now Rachel was verging on panic. "Rachel, babe, you need to calm down," Blaine told her one Sunday afternoon as she paced her apartment, tearing it apart.<p>

"I can't calm down!" she screamed, and though she wasn't mad at him, he was getting on her nerves with his _calm_ and his _ease _that he seemed to exude even when there were only a couple months before their lives were officially their own, before there was officially no set agenda for them. Although, Blaine had already applied and gotten accepted to continue for grad school, so she supposed he didn't have any reason to panic about his future. He had another two years before this feeling of sheer terror would wash over him. And that was if it even happened for him.

"Rachel, I told you-you left the script at Kurt's last night when you went over and demanded he run lines with you," Blaine tried to remind her, but she shook her head "no".

"I had it with me this morning-remember? You came in and handed me coffee and waved goodbye to Alissa and said _Oh, is this the new script you have an audition for this week? _And then you picked it up and put it somewhere!" she yelled again, because this was imperative that she memorized it before her audition-her last one had gone badly, and it was now _March _and she only had two months until graduation and she was on her own without her dads paying for her apartment and her schooling.

"Oh," Blaine exclaimed, jumping off the couch where he was reviewing a paper he had due sometime in the next week or so, "I remember now!"

"Good!" she squeaked, watching him as he raced into her bedroom, waiting impatiently before he reappeared, script in hand.

"I accidentally put it with the rest of my school stuff," he apologized, looking a little embarrassed. She was so relieved-not to mention stressed and on the brink of about twelve different emotions-that she couldn't help but jump into his arms, causing them both to tumble onto the floor as she kissed him all over his face in gratitude.

"Thank you so much," she told him between kisses, and he laughed, his hands coming to a natural hold at her waist as she found his mouth with her own, his grip tightening after a minute before she pulled back, giggling slightly. "No time for that right now," she told him as he let out a disappointed groan that he didn't even try and cover up. "I have to memorize this immediately."

"But you could memorize it after-" he whined, continuing to lay on the floor as she stood up and went back to her small kitchen to make herself tea to help focus.

"Not right now Blaine!" she sang, but with a glance back at him a smile formed on her face. "Maybe later tonight? If you finish your paper and I finish memorizing this?"

"Bribery, huh?" he asked with a smirk, but he got off the floor before promptly crashing on her couch once more, pulling his laptop to him to look over his paper some more. "I guess bribery will work for now."

* * *

><p>Graduation was a simple affair. Kurt, Blaine and Rachel were all taken out to dinner by their parents-Rachel was glad to see her dad's, though Blaine's parents didn't seem to cotton to well to them. ("It's the gay thing," he winced later that night when they lay in her bed. "They're more…close minded. They don't particularly like Kurt either. I've tried to tell them that it shouldn't matter, but, well they're set in their ways. So as long as they don't say anything hurtful to anyone's faces I try to ignore it. Trust me," he added when he saw her unspoken worry. "They love you regardless of your parentage. And more importantly, I love you ") She was even more pleased when her dad's liked Blaine, they hadn't taken too well to her high school boyfriends. When Rachel, Kurt and Blaine all ended up getting slightly more tipsy than they probably would have liked to in front of their parents and started singing, the parents all said it was a wonder the three of them didn't start a group together.<p>

But with graduation came the end of school for good for Rachel, and the start of becoming a real adult. When her roommate moved out, she had to make the decision of finding a new one or asking Blaine to move in. In the end, it was Blaine who suggested he moved in.

"I don't mean to be forward-"

"You usually do mean to be, but go on," Rachel interrupted as she cooked them dinner one night, the spring air growing more humid outside again, summer hanging in the air.

"But," he continued on, pressing a quick kiss to the back of her neck as he passed by her to grab a water. "I couldn't help but notice that you are without a roommate."

"No one could ever call you unobservant," she commented.

"I was thinking maybe I could fix that problem," he offered, his voice quieter than normal, and she spun around to look at him. He wasn't looking at her, his eyes focused on the floor. He was _nervous_, and for some reason that just made her love him more.

"Are you offering a cute guy who can play me guitar until I fall asleep when I'm sick and occasionally even clean the bathroom?" she asked, crawling into his lap with a wide smile.

"I don't know about cleaning the bathroom," he grimaced, but his eyes were alight with a happy sparkle at her response.

"Oh, well then I don't know," she quipped back, her tone light and airy. "I mean, that's kind of a deal breaker. I'm a working woman now, I need someone to make sure my apartment is clean."

"Isn't that what maids are for?" he joked back, poking her in the sides to hear her laugh. She let out a fake sigh of exasperation, blowing the bangs out of her face.

"No, Blaine, just because I have a real big girl job now doesn't mean I can afford things like maids, I'm not famous."

"Yet," he told her, his voice serious as he pressed a kiss to her shoulder, and she felt a pleasant bubbling of admiration wash over her.

"Blaine, do you want to move in with me?" she asked, her voice serious now.

He gripped her face with his hands, his thumb brushing against her cheek softly. "I thought you'd never ask."


	3. You Make It Real

Three major events seemed to happen all at once. Rachel was so busy hard at work and getting ready for the upcoming opening of the off-Broadway gig she had managed to snag, that she wasn't able to help Blaine officially move in. Kurt had come, as well as a couple of Blaine's friends, but Rachel was spending most of her time at the theater these days, running through rehearsals and dress fittings and important meetings they had to all attend.

In the two years Rachel had lived in her apartment, she had never gotten around to meeting some of its other inhabitants. She had been busy with school and Blaine, and she figured it was New York, not Ohio, so no one really knew their neighbors. She was quickly learning what a bad choice this was when she came home to find Blaine talking to a girl in their kitchen table one evening, hoping to surprise them a day or two after their anniversary.

"Hi," she faltered, glaring at the red head sitting in her home.

"Hi!" Blaine called out, reaching out a hand to grab for Rachel. She walked over cautiously, her face tense as she examined the girl. Blaine kissed her on the cheek as she sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around herself. She had rarely a need to feel insecure around Blaine, he never made her question that she was the most important girl in his life before, but he also hadn't really been alone with incredibly attractive girls before that she had known about.

"I'm Marissa," the girl introduced herself, and Rachel managed to fake a smile in her direction before glancing warily at Blaine who seemed oblivious to her discomfort. "I was just telling Blaine here about the neighborhood, welcoming him into the building." Rachel nodded, retorts building up inside her but she pushed them away and continued to panic internally about this.

"Well, it's nice to meet you but I've had a long day," Rachel said a moment later, Blaine still unaware of the awkward tension in the room between the two girls. Rachel knew she shouldn't hate someone instantly, but Marissa had an air about her, almost smug like, like she was going to steal Blaine from Rachel and there wasn't anything Rachel would be able to do about it. She was hesitant about leaving them alone, but hoped that she trusted Blaine enough that she could go shower and relax without too much anxiety ruining it.

She climbed into bed a little while later, staring at the ceiling and feeling a burning pit of anger in her stomach, aware that Blaine was still in the kitchen, listening to him laugh and _flirt _with that girl while she was in the next room. She tried reasoning it to herself, but statements like _she's only a friend_, or _you're never around Rach, what else did you expect? _were only making it worse for her.

She overheard Blaine saying goodbye a little while later, heard Marissa's giggle and an uncomfortably long silence played in which Rachel envisioned the worse before the door shut and locked behind her. A few minutes later Blaine slipped into the room, and when he whispered her name she pretended to be asleep, rolling onto her side and staring at the wall, blinking back tears when he disappeared into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

* * *

><p>The blow out didn't come for another week, Rachel stewing silently as Marissa showed up at their apartment more and more frequently while Rachel was off at work. She had asked Kurt to stop by when he could, to keep an eye on things, and while Kurt agreed that Marissa was definitely someone to look out for, he was sure Blaine was being just as faithful to her as he had ever been. This didn't calm Rachel's already tightened nerves as much as Kurt thought it would, and by the time she snapped, Blaine was so surprised he couldn't even come up with an argument right away.<p>

"You-you think she _likes _me?" He asked, completely flabbergasted at Rachel's accusations. She was red in the face, having exploded at him-quite loudly, surely loud enough for Marissa to hear from her apartment next door.

"It's obvious she does!" Rachel yelled, the anger and insecurity she had been trying to hold back all week boiling over.

"Rachel, you need to stop yelling. Regardless of how she feels-and I assure you, she just thinks of me as a friend-I would never cheat on you," Blaine told her, his voice quiet but his tone serious. "And if you think even for a second that I might, well we have bigger problems than this."

Rachel's come back was something along the lines of "Maybe we do," which led to their first major fight. They had spats and arguments before, but nothing had been as bad as the screaming and tears and arguing that unfolded at her words. The fight lasted almost four days, barely speaking more than necessary and Rachel spending even more time at work until she came to her senses, realizing how stupid she had been, and snuck out of rehearsal early to make up with Blaine.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she crawled into the bed where he was still sleeping even though it was nearing two in the afternoon. "I was being stupid. I know you'd never cheat on me."

"If she really makes you uncomfortable, I won't hang out with her," Blaine said, kissing Rachel's forehead as she snuggled up close. She smiled at him, kissing his shoulder and shook her head.

"You can hang out with her if you want. But if you could just tell her how much you love me on a semi-regular basis, and maybe talk about how pretty and talented I am?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure she's home and we could just have really, really loud make up sex so she knows that you're the only one I want to be with," Blaine grinned, and Rachel laughed, pushing him away slightly but not fighting him off when he rolled back over, kissing her with more determination this time.

"Well, if you think it's a good plan," she conceded.

* * *

><p>That summer was the polar opposite of the previous one. Rachel had no time to lounge in bed, entwined in sheets with Blaine as they talked about their dreams, their pasts, their futures. She barely had time to see Blaine at all. The musical was opening in September, and until then she was spending 10, 12, 14 hour days at the theater.<p>

Blaine was trying to stay busy, working in some office midtown to kill time before school started once more for him. He would stop by the theater sometimes, bringing Rachel dinner or lunch and spending her breaks with her. He never complained, and Rachel felt eternally grateful that Kurt had decided to postpone a required class til his junior year so that Blaine would come into their lives.

On one of the few nights Rachel had off, Blaine brought her to a small bar that hosted karaoke on Tuesday night's. She didn't object, though she voiced the opinion that it might not be prudent for her to get up and sing in front of the crowd, upsetting as that statement was, so that her voice was well rested for work the next day. Blaine said he understood, but he had something he wanted to show her. She was surprised but didn't press on when he said it was a surprise, ushering her in to a table where Kurt and his latest boyfriend were sitting and waiting for the couple.

"Hey guys!" Rachel said, scooting into the table across from Kurt and blowing him a kiss. He grinned and introduced his new boyfriend, Rachel didn't catch his name but was sure that he wouldn't last long enough for her to need to know it anyways. Blaine arrived at the table a minute later, a pitcher of beer and four mugs in his hands as he slid next to Rachel.

"So are you excited?" Kurt asked Blaine, wiggling his eyebrows in a conspiring way. He blushed and glanced at Rachel, smiling a little.

"Nervous is more like it," Blaine shrugged. "It's been quite a while."

"A while since what?" Rachel asked, but Kurt and Blaine ignored her, glancing towards the stage set up in a corner where some girl was now giving her drunken rendition of some pop song. "She is an atrocious singer," Rachel commented after a minute, unable to reel her comments in.

"Rachel," Kurt warned before she could really get on a roll. She sulked quietly and sipped her beverage.

"Well she is," she muttered, but only Blaine seemed to hear her. The announcer walked on stage once the girl was finished singing, calling off Blaine's name. Rachel shot him a confused look but he just kissed her forehead before heading up towards the stage, Kurt practically jumping up and down in his seat as she watched him go.

He cleared his throat, looking around at the relatively full bar. "Um, hi," he announced as the crowd all turned to stare at him. Rachel bit her lip, nervous for him-he sang for her sometimes, but he hadn't performed in public since high school, and she knew this must have been weird for him. "My name's Blaine Anderson, and I know you guys would much rather me fuck up a song everyone knows the words to except for me, but I kind of was hoping you'd all be cool if I sing my own song tonight? I wrote it for my gorgeous girlfriend Rachel," he smiled, pointing in her direction as half the crowd turned to stare at her and she turned bright red, "and I thought this could almost be like a belated anniversary present for her?" The crowd cheered slightly, not sounding too enthused but not sounding disgusted with the idea either, and Blaine pulled a guitar from off stage as someone handed him a stool.

He strummed a few chords, closing his eyes as he started singing. His voice was low, but Rachel heard every word. She had heard him humming the tune over the past couple weeks, unaware that it was an original song, unaware that it was a song for _her_. Unable to stop herself, she stood up and started heading for the stage, hypnotized as the tempo picked up a little, his eyes now finding hers as she pushed her way through the crowd, which was now cheering a little louder as they got into the song.

She was standing right in front of him when the song ended, and he grinned down at her, pulling her on stage with him. "I love you," she whispered as she threw her arms around him, embracing him tightly.

"I love you too," he whispered back, the crowd clapping and cheering enthusiastically.


	4. All This Time

Summer soon turned into fall once more, and when the play opened Rachel finally found she had some free time. Of course, now that Blaine was in school once more, working towards his master's degree, he was almost busier than she was. By the time November rolled around, they had to decide exactly what their plans were for the holidays. Rachel had a few days off for Hanukkah and Christmas, her understudy was set to perform for her. Blaine had his winter vacation, and it was decided they would stay in the city for a quiet Thanksgiving full of holiday shopping and helping Blaine study for finals and head to Ohio for a few days in December.

Their Thanksgiving was small-Rachel had invited Kurt, his boyfriend of almost four months Joey, her old roommate Alissa and her fiancé Derek-and the small group enjoyed a nice turkey dinner, aside from Rachel who skipped on the actual meat part of the dinner. They spent the afternoon watching football (well, most of them did-Rachel and Kurt started dragging out holiday decorations and planning an early departure for Black Friday shopping) and lazing around, comfortable and cozy in the apartment as snow started to fall outside. By the time eight that evening rolled around, the group was fairly drunk and spread about the apartment, Blaine and Rachel curled up on the floor while Kurt sang Christmas carols from the kitchen table.

Blaine hummed in her ear as she watched their friends laugh and sing, and she was hit with the feeling of home that she was still caught off guard by, the one that Blaine had brought up in her increasingly often. In that moment, she saw the rest of their lives together-drunken Thanksgivings turning into family Thanksgivings, their apartment in Manhattan turning into a house in a suburb, growing up and growing old. It hit her hard and fast, and instead of feeling nervous or terrified, she just snuggled in tighter to Blaine, closing her eyes and listening to his soft humming and Kurt's drunk rendition of a Lady Gaga song.

* * *

><p>The flight felt long, and Rachel was exhausted by the time her dad's let her and Blaine wander up to her old bedroom, Blaine flopping on her bed almost immediately. "I think that was the longest night of my life," he groaned into her pillow, and she giggled, looking around at the room, memories flying into her head as she took it all in.<p>

Blaine flipped over and reached his hands out to her, and she took them and climbed next to him, sitting down as she continued examining her bedroom. "So, this is where you grew up, huh?" he asked, poking her in the side as he took a quick glance around. "What number guy am I to be in your bed? Tell me, I can take it!" he joked ,and she giggled, running her hand through her hair.

"Well, it depends on what you mean by that," she shot back, half joking. "Does Kurt count?"

Blaine held a hand up to his chest, a loud sound of shock falling out of his mouth. "Rachel Berry! How could you dare keep this from me?" he retorted, his look of surprise changing to his normal silly grin as quickly as it had changed.

"We thought it'd be better for your ego if we didn't mention it," Rachel smirked, kicking her shoes off and getting under the covers without changing. The start of the holiday events had been tiring, and her dad's had spent a good hour or so interrogating Blaine which only made her anxious.

"Well, thank you for letting the cat out of the bag now," he remarked, getting out of the bed to shut the light off before jumping back into the bed with her. "What time are we headed for Westerville tomorrow?" he asked as she wiggled out of her jeans under the covers, feeling too uncomfortable to leave them on.

"Well your parents want us over there for 2, so I figured we'd leave around 11-make sure there's no traffic or anything. It is Christmas Eve," she pointed out, her nerves getting riled up at the thought of seeing his parents again. They had always seemed to like Rachel before, but now that things were more serious between the two, she wasn't sure if they would still like her.

"Hey," his voice called out after a few minutes of her silent panic, "they love you," he said, somehow pinpointing once again exactly where her anxiety was coming from. "They love that I love you. Everything is going to be fine."

"Promise?" she asked, her voice barely even audible.

"I promise," he kissed the top of her forehead, rubbing her back lightly, and within minutes she was asleep.

* * *

><p>Christmas at the Anderson's passed by uneventfully, though as they left Blaine's mom said that she couldn't wait until Rachel was officially a part of the family. Blaine blushed and groaned, but Rachel just grinned and thanked her for her hospitality before heading out to the car, the butterflies at the thought almost leaving her speechless.<p>

They flew back to the city a few days later, Rachel having to return back to the stage and Blaine having to get ready for the upcoming semester. The winter raged on, snow gathering on the sidewalks and at one point blocking everyone indoors for an entire weekend as the city became buried underneath it. The musical was becoming more of a success, Rachel finally getting her name in papers-though not necessarily the ones she wanted, nor getting the fame she wanted, she was at least finally being recognized and accepted that it was a baby step before she could take over Broadway and eventually Hollywood.

But she also was starting to think that maybe her dreams were beyond fame and fortune, that as much as she wanted that she could still be an actress, still use her voice, and incorporate her other life dreams that she was discovering into the plan. She didn't have to become the next Elphaba on the Wicked stage, because she could make a life with Blaine. She could play leads on smaller stages, still getting the crowds and applause and satisfaction that people were in a crowd to hear _her _sing, and still have a family.

The snow eventually thawed, and soon enough Blaine was under the pressure of more tests, Rachel doing what she could to ease his mind. They celebrated the end of his school year on an almost unreasonably warm May day by going to the beach, indulging in a weekend away from the city they had fallen in love with and in, chasing each other on the sandy shore and through the freezing ocean water. When they returned to the city they were tanned, relaxed, and even though Rachel hadn't thought it possible they were even more in love than they had been.

* * *

><p>"You're not on fourth of July weekend, right?" Blaine asked a couple weeks before said weekend while they ate breakfast, Blaine playing with the tie he had to wear for his summer internship.<p>

"I think Elisa is on that weekend," Rachel responded, referring to her understudy. "Why?"

"Well, I was just thinking about doing something. Maybe driving out to Connecticut or something, staying on the beach again? You've been pretty stressed with all the discussion of the musical going on for another year." She nodded, as much as she loved the musical she was ready to move on to something new, something bigger and better.

"Sounds like a great plan sweetie," she told him, kissing the top of his head as she put her dishes in the sink. "I'll see you tonight, okay?" He nodded, skimming the newspaper on the table as she headed out the door on her way to what was sure to be an extremely long day of meetings and discussions that she was still unsure of her participation in.

* * *

><p>Blaine had found a decent hotel on the shore for the weekend, and Rachel was glad he had thought to do this. "I found a good place for fireworks," he said as she changed into her bathing suit.<p>

"Is it on the beach? Because it's about 9,000 degrees outside and my first priority is stepping into that ocean," she told him, throwing on a pair of shorts over her bikini. He chuckled and nodded, opening the door and leading her out to the car.

The beach was a lot nicer than the one they had gone to in Jersey, the sand raked clean and it was generally empty. There were a few groups of people here and there, but there weren't too many and Rachel enjoyed lounging in the sun, feeling it seep into her skin. Blaine seemed slightly jumpy, but she figured that was probably because he didn't want to get burned-his skin was notorious for burning when he was outside, and didn't put too much more thought into it.

He ran off to get them food when she mentioned being slightly hungry, coming back with some snacks and a sweatshirt in case she got cold as the sun went down while they waited for the fireworks. She ate her sandwich happily, leaning over to kiss him as a thank you after they had finished their food. He pulled a bottle of wine out of the cooler he dragged with him from the car and poured them both some in plastic cups, and she smirked but took hers graciously.

"Rachel, there's, um, something I want to say," he said after a little while. She raised her eyebrows, aware that it was growing increasingly darker and he probably wouldn't notice, but he rarely needed her to propel him into what he wanted to say. "And, I just, can you not react until I'm done?"

"Sure?" she responded, though she was a little nervous. Blaine was normally cool, calm, sure of himself. Seeing him nervous made her nervous.

"Here I go." He took a deep breath and then smiled, turning to face her with a look of pure admiration on his face. She was faintly reminded of their first date, over two years ago, how they had spent the entire night talking and staring at each other, both falling head over heels in a matter of hours. "I love you," he started, taking her hands in his, and her heart fluttered, her brain trying to stop itself from jumping to conclusions. "No one has ever been nearly half as wonderful as you, and I don't think there could be anyone more perfect for me than you. You're incredibly beautiful, gorgeous even, your talent is unparalleled, you're caring to those you love, you're dedicated and determined to get what you want-Rachel, you're everything I ever wanted without me ever realizing it."

She grinned but didn't say anything, a blush starting to crawl over her skin, making her feel almost electric at his words. But she knew he wasn't done, and she didn't want to interrupt him-knew what was coming, but still wanted to hear the words she had found herself longing to hear for so long now. "Rachel Berry, would you do me the honors of becoming my wife?" he asked after a moment's hesitation, and she nodded, screaming out a 'yes' that was probably far louder than necessary, and as the first of the fireworks started, she had crashed her lips to his as he laughed, holding her tightly and saying something that vaguely sounded like 'thank god' before shutting up entirely.


	5. Made For You

The next 13 months passed by quickly. Blaine graduated with a masters, a giant grin on his face as he picked Rachel up and twirled her around in his enthusiasm, Rachel snabbed a role on an actual Broadway show-not the lead, not yet, but she would get there soon.

The wedding planning was stressful, though they managed to plow through with Kurt's help. The location was the trickiest, but they ultimately decided on having it in Ohio where all their family was. Rachel could feel nerves settling in the closer it got, as July grew to a close and August 17th loomed ever nearer. But Blaine always seemed to sense when she started panicking, and he always soothed her.

A week before the wedding they started packing for Ohio and their honeymoon shortly following, and when they finally left a few days later, Rachel kissed Blaine hard on the lips, whispering that it was their last kiss as two single people in their apartment before they returned as a married couple.

* * *

><p>"We have a problem," Quinn said seriously as she walked into the room where Rachel was getting ready. She glanced wearily at her, the day had been one disaster after another, and Mercedes swatted her hand so she'd look back and Mercedes could finish her make up.<p>

"What went wrong now?" Rachel asked, and Quinn sighed deeply, crossing the room in her sky blue dress.

"Well," Quinn started, sounding far more dramatic than Rachel had ever heard just as Finn ran into the room, looking alarmed. Rachel turned around, Mercedes smearing her make up in the process and letting out a frustrated noise as she grabbed make up remover to fix the error.

"Rachel, don't do this!" Finn yelled, though the room was only so big and there was no need to.

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked blankly, Quinn rolling her eyes from the corner she had moved to as Alissa walked in and joined the group, a look of confusion at Finn's appearance.

"Listen, Rachel, it's supposed to be you and I up there! We're supposed to be getting married; we're supposed to live happily ever after!" Rachel stared at him blankly, trying to remember the last time she even _talked _to Finn. She remembered Kurt telling her how his life was starting to take a turn for the worse, losing his job and his serious girlfriend of almost three years all in a months' time, but for actual conversation between the two she couldn't remember anything since her freshman year of college.

"I-Finn, what on earth are you talking about? I haven't seen or talked to you in years," she told him, and he shook his head, almost tripping over Alissa's dress on his way across the room to Rachel.

"No, I saw you like, a year ago or something at Christmas-you were with that guy-"

"Blaine, my _fiancé_."

"Right, well I saw you two and I tried to say 'hi' but you weren't paying any attention-"

"Which should tell you how in love the two of them are," Quinn quipped from her place against the wall, but Finn ignored her too.

"Rachel, please, just come back to me." Rachel almost wanted to laugh with the ease in which she felt compelled to reject him, how simple the words 'Sorry, but I love Blaine. He's the one I want to spend forever with,' fell from her lips. Finn looked heart broken, and any other day she might have felt bad, but looking back in the mirror and at Mercedes impeccable job with her make up, all she could feel was giddiness because in a matter of minutes, she was marrying Blaine Anderson.

* * *

><p>The ceremony went off without a hitch, Rachel's tears didn't even mess up her make up, and when Blaine was told to kiss the bride he did so with a flourish, grabbing her and dipping her low to the applause of everyone in attendance. The reception went just as well, Rachel smiling as she watched all of her friends and Blaine's friends, both of their families, and several members of their old Glee clubs all dancing and drinking and laughing. They slipped away at one point, just to kiss and murmur about how they were officially husband and wife.<p>

Their first year of marriage was not anything spectacular to the average person, nothing of extraordinary events occurred. But it was magical and perfect and even their arguments and disagreements seemed wonderful to them. It was _real _and that was all that mattered to them.

About a year and a half after their wedding, Blaine brought up the subject of kids. Rachel was hesitant, her career blossoming and promising and-as she pointed out any time the discussion popped up-they were still so young. "I want kids one day," she promised him one night when the subject came up again, "but we're still only 24. We have plenty of time to spend our lives dedicated to children, but I want to enjoy a few years of just you and I. To focus on our careers, to plan and save and make sure we're _really _ready for it before we rush into anything."

Blaine agreed, because both came to the conclusion that they wanted a house with a yard and the whole nine yards when it came to settling down, and that wasn't exactly something they could get in Manhattan. Instead, they spent the next seven years saving, planning, and traveling, enjoying their youth as long as they could while still being responsible enough for their future.

The news came in winter, a few days after Rachel's final lead role for a show. She had seen signs for a couple weeks, and on her way back to their apartment from a lunch with Blaine, she picked up a pregnancy test, hoping to have the answer by the time he got home. When he did walk in the door, she was sitting on the bathroom floor, staring at a stick with a little pink plus sign. "Rachel?" he questioned his voice hesitant as she held it up for him to see, a smile growing on her face.

"I'm pregnant," she shrugged, kind of in a daze. His smile was barely contained on his face as he scooped her up, his laughter and happiness seeping through to her as they celebrated.

* * *

><p>"And that is how you came along," Rachel shrugged as she finished her story, wiping down the kitchen counter as her 12 year old daughter sat at the kitchen table, Blaine playing catch outside with their 9 year old son in the backyard.<p>

"Wow," Ella breathed, completely enraptured. "You and dad were like, made for each other."

Rachel grinned, pouring herself a glass of water and nodding. "We really were," she agreed, waving out the window as Blaine winked at her from the outside. It had been almost 22 years and they were still crazy in love, and few people could say that. "We really, truly are."


End file.
